Thirty schoolchildren in Ho Chi Minh City who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic ignited their summer holiday by visiting cultural and historic destinations during a city tour on Wednesday.

They are elementary and middle school students in both inner-city and outlying districts in the southern metropolis.

The kids, who lost one or both of their parents to the pandemic, visited ‘Biet Dong Sai Gon’ (Saigon Rangers) Museum, located on the second floor of a house built in 1963 on Tran Quang Khai Street, District 1, and explored the Reunification Palace, among others.

They also had opportunities to make new friends, play games with each other, and receive gifts.

As these kids are from different groups of age and living in disadvantaged conditions, the tour organizer, including Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper and the travel firm Vietluxtour, had made thorough preparations to ensure they could feel relaxed after the end of a school year and fully enjoy the tour.

One of the participants, Bui Thi Ngoc Phuong, residing in District 8, said: “I had so much fun today because I learned lots of interesting things and made new friends.”

Some kids showed their excitement when exploring secret tunnels serving as old revolutionary bases in wartime.

Ly Doan Tam, a student from Binh Tan District who described the tour as his first trip ever, said he wanted to visit all tourist attractions in Vietnam.

The organizer hoped that the trip could encourage the kids to express themselves more and share their feelings with others, in order to partly help them overcome their difficulties.

The organizer added that they would arrange similar trips for COVID-affected children in the upcoming time, with each having some 30 participants.

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